The New Batch
by Zillah 91
Summary: Johnny Blaze was never the only Ghost Rider. There are others, and now it's time for a new generation of Riders to come forward. Featuring goat-gods, ninja gangsters, sorceresses and a very large tapeworm. Rated for language and violence.


**Some explanation is called for here, methinks. Any GR fans here might know of the story arc that's been going on in Jason Aaron's run on the comic, where it turns out there's lots of different Ghost Riders, all over the world. And at the end of that story, nearly all of them end up losing their powers. And I couldn't hear that without getting an idea.**

**So, here's the thought I've had. I'm going to do a couple of one-shot stories that focus on some new Ghost Riders, who replace the old ones being bonded to flaming skeleton spirit thingies. I'm hoping to bring out the different personalities of the three characters I've put together for these stories.**

**So, first up is Jason Byrne, Ghost Rider of Great Britain.**

My name is Jason Byrne, and I am a Ghost Rider.

My old man once told me that Cwmgwrach was the valley of the witches. I told him it sounded like a load of bollocks.

My parents moved to London before I was born, see. I grew up there, even though I still had the Welsh accent. But we went back, every once in a while, and visited the grandparents. That stopped after old Dave died; turned out Mick strung him up over the old mine for stealing his diving kit, and now everybody reckons it's haunted.

Anyway, reason we were back there when it happened was because my Dad's old mate, scrawny little bloke named Bryan, he'd kicked the bucket. The only person in the village who still really knew him was this girl who worked at the church. Said her name was Ana Smythe and she'd been born in Newcastle.

The night after the funeral, anyway, I went out and got absolutely rat-arsed. Then, when we were all down the social, one of these blokes there comes up with this bloody stupid idea. We nick a motorcycle and see how far we can skid on this thing. I went last, won the contest and ended up crashing into a wall.

And that was when everything went completely bloody mental.

I woke up, right, but I wasn't really awake. Everything was sort of black and white and I could see myself being carried off in the ambulance. Anyway, I turn round, and there's this bloke talking to me saying I might be dead, but I could come back if I took this deal. He said he was a "Spirit of Vengeance", and he looked like… well, he was a skeleton, right, and he was on fire. Nothing but bones, and big orange flames all over him. Said he needed a vessel, and there had to be a Rider.

Well, I didn't have a fucking clue what he was on about, but I didn't fancy dieing, did I? So I says yes, and the next thing I know, I wake up in a hospital bed.

And that night, I bloody well catch on fire, which the vengeance-bastard didn't mention. Hurt like buggery. I don't remember much after that, but when I woke up the next morning, it turned out old Mick was dead. Somebody said it was a heart attack, but it turned out somebody had taken a mace to him and smashed his skull in. 'Course, nobody was that upset, because it turned out the next day that he'd been fiddling kiddies in this garage. Then the next night, it happened again, only this time the guy who got killed was the one who'd shot Jenny who worked at the Chinese.

Anyway, I didn't take long for me to work out that it was me doing this, but not quite me. Like the spirit said, it's living in me now, and as near as I can tell, all it thinks about is punishing people that do bad things- murderers and rapists and the like. And then, who turns up but Ana from the church, and she tells me that it's called a Ghost Rider, and that I can either get myself an exorcism or get used to it.

Thing is, turns out Ghost Riders draw attention, because over the next few days, I noticed these blokes following me in the street. Then my uncle Steve, who's a copper, he starts looking into all these people vanishing, and the family goes up to meet him. And while I'm there in this old village out in the valley, my head starts splitting and that spirit's screaming on about vengeance and all that bollocks.

And then, fuck if Steve doesn't get himself kidnapped and one of the bastards that been following me cuts his arm off. By the time I find him, the bastard ate the arm in front of him, just to be a wanker about it. Turns out they've been doing this ritual sacrifice thing to a demon called Samael, which looks like a big fat bastard with a goat's head. And this thing must've had a hangover, because it gets right arse-y about being summoned and starts killing all these nutters.

And about ten seconds ago, it picked up this axe and buried it in Steve's head.

And suddenly, this isn't a joke anymore. This Ghost Rider thing isn't a pain in the arse anymore.

Someone's just died. Someone with a soul, and a life, and two kids, he's gone, and all that's in front of me is a piece of dead meat.

When I think about that, it puts an anger in me like I've never felt. Feels like my soul's on fire. So I let it out.

The Rider's out again, but this time, it's me in control. I hold up this mace on the end of a chain and look up at this ten-foot-tall demon-god, and I say:

"Let's fucking have it, then."

So I let it out, until Jason Byrne is seared away, and it's only the Rider that remains. And somewhere, in the middle of this body made of hellfire, I know what a curse is.

**Yeah, it gets freaky in Wales. I know. Not like cults or demons, but that thing about the mine? Inspired by true events. Same with Jason's first victim. Much of the stories my Dad told me inspired this particular story.**

**Hope that was enjoyable. Yeah, this guy's a foul-mouthed little bastard, and that's something of a contrast with our next entrant.**

**Next: Yuriko Kannabe- Ghost Rider of Japan.**


End file.
